Apparatus for effecting refrigeration air-conditioning



Sept. 27, 1938. F. A. WHITELEY APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING REFRIGERATION AIRCONDITIONING Filed March l, 193'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig-1L IS Inventor-zWl'ufele Sept. 27, 193s.

F. A. wHl''ELEY APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING REFRIGERATION AIR CONDITIONINGFiled March l, 1937 2 SheefS-She't 2 Fig S /ll 3T 3G Invenlror F f.WhL'teLej.

Patented Sept. 27, 1938 UNITED STATI-:s1 Panam*y OFFICE APPARATUS FOREFFECTING REFRIGERA-y TION AIR-CONDITIONING Frank A. Whiteley,Minneapolis.' Minn.

Application March 1, 1937, Serial No. 128,377

Si Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for effecting refrigerationair-conditioning, and has for its object to provide within a closedchamber,

specifically the refrigerating chamber of a domestic refrigerator, ameans of employing mechanical refrigeration such that'there will becontinuous and uniform circulation of the air Within the chamber andre-vaporization of any water condensed therefrom, so that said air willat all times be saturated or substantially saturated andthere will be notendency for dehydration of food Within the refrigerator compartment.More specifically stated, it is an object of my l5 invention to providemeans for effecting airconditioned refrigerating which consists inhaving within the closed chamber to be refrigerated a tank containing aliquid, which may be water or other suitable liquid, in which isimmersed a mechanical refrigerating unit, preferably embodying aninterior freezing chamber separated from the water within the tank, andproviding heat exchangers having passages extending through said liquid,in practice vertical passage- 25 ways, preferably one said heatexchanger on each side of the refrigerating unit, together with meanswhereby the liquid as-it is cooled by the refrigerating unit will becaused to circulate in Y thetank along the walls of the heat exchangers.30 and back to the refrigerating unit as heat is extracted from theairv within the chamber, and with means whereby the air in the chamberwill be caused to circulate therein, going through the said heatexchangers to be cooled thereby and thence falling to the bottom of thechamber and causing the warmer air to ascend to the top of s aid heatexchanger and pass back throughthe cooling passages therein, andproviding for revaporizing within the chamber and water con'- densedfrom said cooled air.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for effectingthe above-noted steps of process which will be simple, efficient andinexpensive, which provide cooling surfaces ex- 45 posed to the air onlyunder conditions which make possible taking care of all water condensedfrom the air within the refrigerator chamber, and providing means forreceiving said water as it is condensed, and causing it to bereevaporated into the airwithin the chamber. It is a further object ofmy invention to provide a heat exchanger or heat exchangers eachconsisting of an air leg having large areas exposed to heat exchange ofthe air therein, spe

55 cically an air leg heat exchanger corresponding' to those shown in my-co-pending application Serial Number 121,518, led January 21, 1937, inwhich a multiplicity of heat exchanger n plates are integrally cast attheir edges in the walls of the air leg, said air legs being posi- 5tioned herein so as to extend across the tank and have the walls bathedby the liquid within the tank and the multiplicity of passages throughthe air legs extending vertically, whereby the cooling of the airtherein will cause movement of air. downwardly and the warmed air willrise through uncooled passages and thus continuously circulate throughsaid air legs and about the interior of therefrigerator.

I t is a further object of'my invention to con- 15 trol the means forcooling the liquid within the tank so that its temperature shall bemaintained above but near the freezing point, say around 35.

1t is a further object of my invention to provide means includingabsorbent material such as wicking to catch the drip of condensation, ifthere is any, from the passages within said air legs and subject it tothe rising currents of air, whereby said moisture will be re-vaporizedin the chamber, and the chamber will be air-'con- 25 ditioned and cooledin such a way as to have no tendency to dehydrate foodwithin thechamber.

It is a further object of theI invention to provide in the liquid withinthe tank, which`willl have its surface open to the circulating air, asuitable deodorant, so that odors arising; from the food within theArefrigerator may be absorbed and effective deodorizing result.

The full objects and advantages of my invention are hereinafterdescribed in detail, and the novel features thereof are particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating an application of my invention in one form-I Fig. 1 isa sectional elevation View through a 40 refrigeratorembodying my invention taken on line I--I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a partsectional plan View taken from the top of the refrigerator with most ofthe top removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional partial elevation view takenonline 3-3 45 of Fig. 2 at right angles to the view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4visa sectional detail of the heat exchanger employed. Fig. 5 is a sectionaldetail view of a common form of ice freezing trough showing itsinsulating front.

Although 'it must be understood that my invention is applicable to anyform of closed cham` ber to be refrigerated, there is shown in thedrawings the box of a domestic refrigerator I0 having a top wall Il,back wall I2, side walls I3 55 and I4, bottom wall I5 and front door I6all of well-known and common construction.

Within the upper part of the chamber I1 within the above-defined wallsis suspended a tank I8 which has its back wall insulated, as indicaiedat I9, its bottom Wall insulated as indicated at 20, Fig. 1, and itsside walls formed with air passages 2l and 22, Figs. 1 and 2, by meansof vertical wall plates 23 and 24, whereby said air passages are open attop and bottom as indicated at 25 and 26, Fig. 1. The front wall of tankI8 is also insulated as indicated at 21 in Figs. 2 and 3.

Within the central space in tank I8 is preferably formed a closedchamber 28 having watertight passages 29 all around it formed by outercasing 30 and inner casing 3|, and within this space 28 are tube coils32 of an evaporator connected by tube 33 with a compressor, not shown,in a customary way. The tube coils 32 continue around the outside ofcasing 30 but spaced therefrom in other coils 34, running to thecompressor through tube 35. The chamber 28 is thus formed as a freezingchamber within which slide trays 86 of well-known construction forholding water to be frozen in cubes, excepting that the fronts of thesetrays will have an insulating cover 31, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and5. The tank I8 thus has all of its walls insulated from the interior ofchamber I1 excepting the side walls 38 and 39, but these walls are ineect insulated from the interior of lchamber I1 by reason of the outerpartitions 23 and 24 forming the vertical passageways 2| and 22.

Extending through the chamber Within tank I8 on each side of therefrigerator unit formed of coils 32 and 34 and freezing chamber 28 areheat exchangers 40 which are exactly the same on each side. Each ofthese heat exchangers, Fig. 2, comprises side walls 4I and 4 2, an endwall 43 and an end wall 44, all said walls being spaced from the innerwall of tank I8, said heat exchangers being sealedin to the bottom ofsaid tank, as indicated at 45 and 46 in Fig. 1. Also, each of the heatexchangers, Figs, 2 and 4, is divided into a multiplicity of verticalpassageways 41 by means of n plates 48, which, as shown in Fig. 4, havetheir edges fused into the walls 4I and 42 of the heat exchanger airlegs 40. The -walls 42, as shown indetail in Fig. 4, are preferablythickened alternatively outside and inside ofthe walls 4I and 42, as at49 and 50, to give a`better fusing union of the edges of the plates 48with the respecive walls 4I and 42, and to increase the area of saidwalls exposed to the cooling liquid within -tank I8. The passages 41thus extend vertically down through the tank from a space .5I above thesame to their discharge point at iis bottom, as lclearly shown in Fig.1.

Within the tank I8 is a liquid having its upper level at substantiallythe point indicated at 52 in Fig. 1. This liquid maybe water or anysuitable non-freezing solution, and may contain some deodorant material.The surface 52 of the liquid is open to the space 5I at the top of therefrigerator and this space connects not only with the passages 41 inthe heat exchangers 40 and with the passages 2| and 22 at each side ofthe tank I8, but also with side passages 53 and 54 which form channelsfor ascending currents of warmer air in the circulationsystemfhereinafter to be pointed out.

The water within tank I8 extends entirely around the heat exchangers 40,passing to passageways 55 and 56 back of said heat exchangers aroundtheir ends through front and rear pas sageways 51 and 58, Fig. 2, andunder 'and over transverse partitions 59 and 68, Fig. 1, which in commonwith passageways 55 and 56 form passageways 6I and 62 for ascendingcolumns of water in the circulation thereof within tank I8, ashereinafter pointed out. A thermostatic member 63 of well-knownconstruction extends to-l Any condensation which does take place,'

therefore, will gravitate downward and may drip from the bottoms ofthese walls. To catch such condensation I provide troughs 6.4 and 65,which underlie all of said passages, and which may be preliminarilyfilled or partly filled with water, as desired. Supported by removablewire frames 66 and 61, adapted tobe angularly positioned within thetroughs 64 and 65, are'flexible evaporator members 68 and 69, which asclearly shownA in Fig. 1, underlie the aforesaid passages from whichcondensation may drip, and which dip down into troughs 64 and 65 andinto any water which may be present in said troughs. These evaporatormembers 68 and 69 may be made of wicking, cords or any type of fabricwhich has a high capillary transmission quality, and the ends of theevaporators will vhang down as indicated at I0 in Fig. 1. Itfollows,therefore, that the water which drips from walls 'of cooling passagewaysin the heat exchangers or from side walls 38 and 39 of the tank willfall uponthe evaporators 66 and 69 and by capillary action together withwater from within the troughs will be moved out into the dependingportions 10 thereof where said water will belimmediately revaporizedwithin the compartment of the refrigerator-so that there will be nodrying of the air in said compartment and no tendency lto dehydratematerials stored therein.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The liquid in the tank is-cooled by the evaporator coils 32 and 34 of the mechanicalrefrigerating unit, and gravitates to the bottom of the tank. At thesame timethe water in passageways 6I,

62 and 55, 56 will be warmed by heat exchange with the air in thepassageways 41 of the-heat exchangers and the passageways 2| and 22along the side walls 38 and-39 of the tank I8. The warmed water willrise within said passageways, being displaced by th'e cold water flowingin at the bottom, and will flow up over the tops of partitions 59 and60, and around Athe ends of heat exchangers 40 and over the tops of saidpartitions from passageways 55, 56, where it will ow over the coils ofthe mechanical refrigerating unit and again be cooled, thus producing anautomatic circulation of the liquid on each side of the refrigeratingunit and about the walls of the heat exchangers 40, whereby heat isexchanged with the air of the refrigerating compartment and transferredthrough the coils of the refrigerating unit in a well-known way. Thisdouble circulation within tank'I8 is indicated by arrows.

.` refrigerator chamber.

" mechanical refrigerator unit has all its coils "li'here will also beset up within the refrigerating compartment a double circulation of theair therein. Since the air in passageways 41, 2| and 22 is being cooledin heat exchange with the cold walls to which it is exposed, it willgravitate downward where it will engage the sloping surfaces of theflexible evaporators 68 and 69 and will be turned inwardly toward thecenter of the refrigerating chamber and will then fall to the bottom ofthe refrigerating chamber. At the same time the warmer air along thesides of the refrigerating chamber will go through passageways 53 and 54into top chamber 5| and turn back down through the passageways 41 in theheat exchangers 2| and 22, there thus being a complete doublecirculation of air within the. refrigerator chamber. This circulationwill completely air-condition the inside of the refrigerator, constantlymoving the air therein and preventing the formation of stagnantzoneswhich may injure the keeping characteristics of the refrigerator. All ofthe air in circulation also will pass over the open top of tank I8,where it may take up additional moisture, if, as usually will bepreferable, the liquid in the tank is water or mostly water, and thedeodorant in said liquid will operate to adsorb and destroy any odorswhich may be given off by materials in the refrigerator compartment.bers 68 and 69 willin practice be rectangular pieces of the cloth orexible material of which they are composed, which pieces are readilyremovable for occasional washing, as may be desired.

The advantages of ,my invention have been quite clearly pointed out inthe preceding detailed description. The simplicity, efficiency andconveniencel of mechanical refrigeration is obtained without any of itsheretofore well-recognizeddefects. These defects have been unequalcooling within the refrigerator chamber, zoning-or stagnation of the airin the refrigerator chamber and, perhaps most serious of all, excessivedehydration of materials within the refrigerator chamber caused byfrosting of the refrigerator coils and condensation and drip to thedripV pans below, all of which moisture in effect must be withdrawn fromthe materials stored within the With my invention the buried within theliquid in tank I0. 'Ihe cooler part of that liquid will naturally beatthe bottom 'of the tank and no parts of the tank are exposed to airwithin the refrigeratorchamber excepting the downward passages throughthe heat exchangers and at the two sides of the tank. All

- condensation, therefore, is directly controlled, and

re-vaporization of any moisture condensed willsoon produce a state ofsaturation of the air in the refrigerating chamber at its reducedtemperature. Actually the transfer of heat from the mechanicalrefrigerating unit to the liquid in the tank and from there to the airwithin the re- The evaporator mem-v than where the compressor is exposedto the air,

and, as above pointed out, will effect the cooling of the interior oftherefrigerator more rapidly and uniformly than could possiblybe the casewith an exposed refrigerator unit.

The freezing chamber, being entirely segregated from the air within therefrigerating chamber will be very highly eilicient and will freeze icecubes or other materials therein very rapidly. Excess cold will bepassed out through the outer walls of the water-tight freezingcornpartment into the liquid. If any ice should form, in the event wateris the-liquid employed, about the outside Walls of the freezing chamberor about the coils of the refrigerator unit, no discharge would follow,since such freezing or frosting is from the liquid in the tank and notwithdrawn from the air, and it must ultimately melt into the liquidwithin the tank as the heat thereof is exchanged to the air passingthrough the heat exchanger passages. y

I claim:

1. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, a tank in the upper partof said chamber having its side walls and top spaced from the side wallsand top of said chamber, said tank adapted to contain a liquid, andhaving heat exchanger members positioned to be immersed in such liquidwith passageways extending vertically through the tankand opening intothe top and towards the bottom of the chamber, a mechanicalrefrigerating unit positioned to be immersed in the liquid for coolingthe same, whereby air in the chamber will be cooled in and flow downwardthrough said passageways and the warmer air in the chamber will flowupwardly along the sides of the tank and to the top and back through theheat ex-1 and top of said chamber, said tank adapted to contain aliquid, and having heat exchanger members positioned to be immersed insuch liquid with passageways extending through the tank andv openinginto the top and towards the bottom of the chamber, a mechanicalrefrigerating unit vpo,- sitioned to be immersed in the liquid forcooling the same, whereby air in the chamber will be .cooled in and flowdownward through said passageways and the warmer air in the chamber willflow upwardly along the sides of the tank and to the top and backthrough the heat exchanger passageways, and troughs underlying the lowerends of the'passageways vadapted to contain water, and capillarywater-conductors extending from the troughs into the ascending currentsof air for evaporating water thereto.

3. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, means for cooling air tocause it to move downward from the upper part of said chamber todisplace the air in the lower part and cause it to move upward,`andmeans for directing said cooled air to move down through the centralportion of the chamber and for constraining the air to move in return tothe cooling means along the sides of the chamber, said last-named meanspositioned to receive drip from any condensation from said cooled airand having portions extending into the ascending currents of air wherebythe drip will be 're-evaporated thereto.

4. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber. a tank in said chamberadapted to contain a liquid, said tank having its top spaced from thetop wall and its sides spaced from the side walls of the chamber to formconnected passages along the sides and across the top of said tank,means for cooling liquid in the tank, a pair of heat exchangers eachhaving a passageway positioned to extend vertically through such liquidin said tank and opening into the chamber at the top and bottomrespectively of said tank, whereby air within the chamber will beycooled in said passageways and a A double circulation of air be set upwithin the chamber from the bottoms of said passageways to the bottom ofthe chamber and along the sides of the chamber to the top and above thetank, means below said passageways for collecting water condensedy inthe passageways and gravitating therefrom, and means for revaporizingsaid water so condensed.

5. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, a tank in said chamberadapted to contain a liquid, said tank having its top spaced from thetop wall and its sides spaced from the side walls of the chamber to formconnected passages along the sides and across the top of said tank,means for cooling liquid in the tank, a pair of heat exchangers eachhaving a passageway positioned to extend vertically through such liquidin said tank and opening into the chamber at the top and bottomrespectively of said tank, whereby air Within the chamber will be cooledin said passageways and a double circulation of air be set up within thechamber in descending currents from the bottoms of said passageways tothe bottom of the chamber and ascending currents along the sides of thechamber to the top and above the tank, means below said pasageways forcollecting` water condensed4 in the passageways and gravitatingtherefrom, and evaporator means extending into said ascending currentsof air for revaporizing said water so condensed.

6. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, a tank in said chamberadapted to contain a liquid, a mechanical refrigerating unit positionedto be immersed in such water at a point midway between the sides of thetank and embodying an inner ice-cube freezing chamber with double wallssurrounding the same and refrigeratngymeans between the double walls, aheat exchanger within the tank located on each side of the refrigeratingunit, each heat exchanger having vertical passageways opening at top andbottom of the tank for cooling the air in the chamber by heat exchangewith cooled liquid and for accumulating for gravitating discharge watercondensed from the air flowing through said passageways, and

means located below the discharge of said vertical passageways forreceiving the drip of water so condens-ed and re-evaporating it to theail within the chamber.

'1. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, a tank in the upper partof said chamber adapted to contain a liquid and having heat exchangermembers positioned to be immersed in such liquid with verticalpassageways extending through the tank and opening into the top andtowards the bottom of the chamber, a mechanical refrigerating unitpositioned to be immersed in the liquid and control means therefor formaintaining the temperature of the liquid near the freezing point, areceptacle adapted to contain water underlying the lower ends of saidpassageways for receiving water which may condense therein and gravitatetherefrom, and means extending out of said receptacle for 'causing said'condensed water to be reevaporated into the chamber.

8. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, a, tank in the upper partof said chamber adapted to contain a liquid and having heat exchangermembers positioned to be immersed in such liquid with vertical passagesextending through the tank and opening into the top and toward thebottom of the chamber, a mechanical refrigerating unit positioned to beimmersed in the liquid between said heat exchanger members, andpartitions in the spaces between said unit and the heat exchanger, andmembers extending across the tank but having their upper and lower edgesabove and below the bottom and top of the tank respectively so as toform channels above and below said partitions through which liquid canflow to effect a double circulation within the tank.

9. A refrigerator embodying a closed chamber, a tank in the upper partof said chamber adapted to contain a liquid, means in the tank to coolsuch liquid, said tank being insulated all around said insulation inpart consisting of vertical openended heat exchanger air passages ateach side, said tank positioned to provide with the walls of the chambera top air passage and side air passages extending therefrom alongsidesaid insulating passages, and other open-ended, verticalheat exchangerair passages lextending from the top passage towards the bottom of thechamber,- whereby air within the chamber will be cooled in said heatexchanger passages, and a double circulation of air be set up within thechamber, descending from the bottom of said heat exchanger passages tothe central bottom of the chamber and ascending along the sides of thechamber to the top and above the tank.

FRANK A WHITELEY.

